IPL Auction 2024: Five players Kolkata Knight Riders will target in IPL Auction

Gautam Gambhir is back with Kolkata Knight Riders as a mentor in what is seen as a huge coup for the franchise. The former skipper is set to play a key role in deciding which player to go for during the IPL Auctions 2024 in Dubai on the 19^th of December,

Kolkata Knight Riders have a purse of INR 32.7 Crores left and will be looking to stack up their fast bowling reserves. The two-time champions have retained the core of their batters which includes local talents like Nitish Rana and Rinku Singh. Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, and Suyash Sharma will be the three spinners of the side.

In a surprising move, Kolkata Knight Riders released all their fast bowlers last Sunday. In this list let us take a look at the five players Kolkata Knight Riders will target during IPL Auction 2024.

Travis Head –

The best batter going around in the world right now is none other than Travis Head. The left-handed batter has been showing tremendous form with the bat during the ongoing T20I series against India. Travis Head will be the cynosure of all eyes during the IPL Auction 2024 on the 19^th of December.

The Australian has priced himself at INR 2 Crores and with a huge outlay of money left KKR might be tempted to make their move. Jason Roy’s inconsistent form may give the Knight Riders a huge upgrade in the form of Travis Head.

Mustafizur Rahman –

Bangladeshi pace spearhead, Mustafizur Rahman is also in the INR 2 Crores bracket. Shreyas Iyer will want a pacer who can bowl with the new ball and also provide him with options in the death overs.

Mustafizur Rahman will also be a good fit for Kolkata Knight Riders as the pacer will have a huge following with the local fans. The Eden Gardens surface can also act like the Bangladeshi surfaces in Mirpur or Dhaka which will make ‘The Fizz’ a dangerous bowler. 

Chris Woakes –

The 34-year-old Englishman made his IPL debut in 2017 under Gautam Gambhir for Kolkata Knight Riders. With the former skipper back yet another homecoming cannot be ruled out and this is where Chris Woakes comes to be a massive pick during the IPL Auction 2024. 

Chris Woakes can swing the ball with good pace as well as bowl well in the death. The 34-year-old is also a decent batter with a career T20I strike rate of 139 while batting lower down the order. With the ball, Woakes has picked 30 wickets from 21 IPL games with an economy rate of 8.9 runs per over. 

Mitchell Starc –

Kolkata Knight Riders could go for the kill during the IPL Auction 2024 by attempting to sign Mitchell Starc. The Australian pace ace will be a huge coup for the two-time IPL champions if they manage to land him in their net.

Shreyas Iyer would love to have Mitchell Starc in his team as the left-arm-pacer is lethal with the new ball as well as the old ball. Not to mention, Starc can also swing the willow with good effect in the latter part of the innings. 

Gerald Coetzee –

South Africa’s best bowler during the ODI Cricket World Cup was none other than Gerald Coetzee. The 23-year-old impressed the world with his bowling during the semi-finals against Australia at the Eden Gardens.

Gerald Coetzee has pace, bounce, swing and the ability to use the slower balls and bowl good Yorkers. The Protean youngster could be a good pick for Kolkata Knight Riders during the IPL Auction 2024.